Method for assessing the condition of a roadway, as well as roadway condition assessment system and vehicle

Abstract

Method for assessing the condition of a roadway (2), in which the following steps are carried out: - storing information on a surface structure (4) of the roadway (2) in a computing unit (5) external to the vehicle, - detecting a wetness condition of the roadway (2) with at least one detection unit (7) of a vehicle (1) traveling on the roadway (2) and / or detecting a weather condition in the surroundings (18) of the roadway (2), characterized by - retrieving the information on the surface structure (4) of the roadway (2) by the vehicle (1) from the external computing unit (5) and determining an aquaplaning situation (10) on the roadway (2) in the vehicle (1) itself depending on the information on the surface structure (4) and depending on the information on the wetness, and / or - transmitting the information on the wetness condition from the vehicle (1) to the external computing unit (5) and retrieving the information on the surface structure (4) and the information on the wetness condition from the external computing unit (5) by a further vehicle (15), wherein the further vehicle (15) determines a driving condition of the further vehicle (15) for driving on the roadway (2) or determines an alternative route for bypassing the roadway (2) depending on this retrieved information;wherein, when driving on the roadway (2) to which the determined aquaplaning situation (10) belongs, the actual driving behavior of the vehicle (1) is analyzed and compared with a driving behavior to be expected in such an aquaplaning situation (10), wherein in the event of a deviation, in particular by a predeterminable tolerance, between the actual driving behavior and the expected driving behavior, at least the deviation and / or the actual driving behavior is taken into account when determining a future aquaplaning situation (10);

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for assessing the condition of a roadway, in which the following steps are carried out: - Storing information on the surface structure of the road in a computing unit external to the vehicle, - Detecting a wetness condition of the roadway with at least one detection unit of a vehicle traveling on the roadway and / or detecting a weather condition in the vicinity of the roadway.

[0002] Furthermore, the invention relates to a road condition assessment system with a detection unit and an output unit. Furthermore, the invention comprises a vehicle with a corresponding road condition assessment system.

[0003] DE 10 2017 212 707 A1 relates to a method for detecting a road condition in the area of a vehicle using sensor data from an acoustic sensor system of the vehicle.

[0004] DE 10 2016 015 075 A1 discloses a system for recording and processing weather data with a central computer / storage device. It is provided that at least two motor vehicles are equipped with sensors that record weather data, and the at least two motor vehicles are communicatively connected to the computer / storage device.

[0005] DE 10 2015 214 575 A1 discloses a method for distributing traffic information. Status information is acquired in a first vehicle, wherein the status information relates to a physical state of the surroundings and / or the first vehicle. Furthermore, position information is acquired, wherein the position information encodes a position of the first vehicle at which the status information was determined. The status information is stored with an electronic map on a central internet server and is based on the position information.

[0006] DE 10 2016 122 987 A1 discloses a method for predictively determining a risk of aquaplaning for a motor vehicle. A sensor determines first environmental information relating to a current location of the motor vehicle, and the risk of aquaplaning is classified as either present or non-present depending on the first environmental information.

[0007] US 2019 / 0 294 167 A1 discloses systems and methods for determining an optimal lane and route for an autonomous vehicle under changing road conditions and predicting the performance of the autonomous vehicle along a route. The profile of a road is analyzed to determine a safe lateral lane position. In ice or snow, a vehicle can follow ruts caused by previous vehicles, even if this causes the vehicle to be off-center in the lane. In warm weather, a vehicle can drive outside of the ruts to avoid the risk of hydroplaning. Dynamic road conditions and AV assistance along a route are used to maximize AV utilization and predict AV performance. A vehicle control system calculates the sensor limitations and uses these sensor limitations when calculating the route to be taken.

[0008] The disadvantage of this is that if aquaplaning occurs on a road, the vehicle on the road cannot independently and quickly detect and assess the aquaplaning situation. In particular, an aquaplaning hazard is not taken into account when calculating a route.

[0009] The object of the present invention is to provide a method, a road condition assessment system and a vehicle with which the operation of a vehicle in real road traffic can be carried out more safely.

[0010] This problem is solved by a method, a road condition assessment system, and a vehicle according to one of the independent patent claims. Useful further developments are set out in the dependent claims.

[0011] One aspect of the invention relates to a method for assessing a road surface condition of a roadway, in which the following steps are carried out: - Storing information on the surface structure of the road in a computing unit external to the vehicle, - detecting a wetness of the roadway with at least one detection unit of a vehicle traveling on the roadway and / or detecting a weather condition in the vicinity of the roadway, - Retrieving the information on the surface structure of the road by the vehicle from the external processing unit and determining an aquaplaning situation on the road in the vehicle itself depending on the information on the surface structure and depending on the information on the wetness and / or - Sending the information on the wetness condition from the vehicle to the external processing unit and retrieving the information on the surface structure as well as the information on the wetness condition from the external processing unit by another vehicle, wherein the another vehicle determines a driving state of the other vehicle for driving on the roadway or determines an alternative route for avoiding the roadway depending on this retrieved information.

[0012] The proposed method can be used to make vehicle operation safer, in particular, because the roadway is assessed and analyzed for hazardous areas. This can be used to make current vehicle travel on the roadway safer, and safer for the vehicle's occupants. In particular, the proposed method can be used to carry out a risk- and / or hazard-minimized travel of the vehicle and / or the additional vehicle. In particular, the vehicle itself can, preferably automatically, initiate and / or carry out at least one hazard- and / or risk-minimizing measure depending on the aquaplaning situation. Likewise, the user of the vehicle can initiate and / or carry out at least one hazard- and / or risk-minimizing measure depending on the aquaplaning situation.In particular, the aquaplaning situation provided and determined by the system can inform the vehicle's occupants about the impending potential danger on the road and warn them of it.

[0013] For example, information about the road surface structure is stored on an external server, an external database, or in a data cloud. In particular, information about the surface structure can be transmitted from vehicles to the external processing unit, or the information can be stored in the external processing unit by service providers, road construction authorities, or online services. The stored information can be retrieved automatically by the vehicle at any time. In particular, the vehicle can be connected to the external processing unit via communication technology. In particular, the information is retrieved via a wireless network, such as Bluetooth or LTE.

[0014] In particular, the wetness of the road surface is detected using the at least one detection unit of the vehicle during real driving conditions, in particular while the vehicle is moving along the road surface. In particular, the wetness of the road surface is detected according to the surface structure. In particular, a wet surface on the road surface or a film of water on the surface is detected using the vehicle's detection unit. In particular, a puddle on the road surface can be detected using the detection unit. For example, the detection unit can be a camera system or a sensor system of the vehicle. In particular, an image of the road surface can be recorded using the detection unit, and the recorded image can be evaluated using software or a software algorithm.For example, it is also possible for the weather conditions in the vicinity of the road or in the vicinity of the vehicle to be detected. In particular, a rain shower in the vicinity of the road can be detected. For example, this can be detected via a rain sensor on the vehicle. Using the detected wetness and the detected weather conditions and the retrieved information on the surface structure, an aquaplaning situation on the road can be determined in a vehicle system of the vehicle. In particular, a potential aquaplaning situation on the road on which the vehicle is currently located can be determined. This can in particular warn the vehicle and / or vehicle systems and / or the user of the vehicle of the impending potential aquaplaning situation or make them aware of it.

[0015] For example, the recorded information on the wetness can be transmitted to the external processing unit so that the external processing unit can compare and evaluate this transmitted data with the help of the stored surface structure on the road. In particular, a correlation of the data can be carried out in the external processing unit. In particular, the other vehicle that is currently or will be on the road in the future can transmit and have the information stored in the external processing unit on the wetness and surface structure transmitted and made available. This allows the other vehicle to calculate and evaluate the potential aquaplaning situation even if it is not yet at the location of the aquaplaning situation. Based on the evaluated aquaplaning situation, the other vehicle can decide whether to continue on the current roadway or whether an alternative route to the roadway would be better.This allows the other vehicle, in particular, to react early to the impending aquaplaning situation and implement countermeasures, such as providing an alternative route. This results in increased safety for the other vehicle and its occupants. This allows the potential hazard on the road to be taken into account during route planning or route calculation, allowing either a recalculation of the route or a detour around this hazard.

[0016] For example, a vehicle can be fully autonomous or semi-autonomous. For example, information about an impending aquaplaning situation can be transmitted to a vehicle guidance system of the vehicle and / or the other vehicle, so that the vehicle guidance system can automatically initiate and subsequently implement countermeasures for the impending potential hazard on the road. This results in safe and improved movement of the vehicle or the other vehicle in real road traffic.

[0017] For example, an aquaplaning situation can be understood as the vehicle's tires floating on a film of water on a wet road surface. A wedge of water pushes itself beneath the tire contact patch, resulting in the tires losing their grip on the road. In particular, at the moment of aquaplaning, no steering and braking forces can be transferred to the road surface. This can cause the vehicle to skid. In particular, a wet road surface has a lower coefficient of friction than a dry one. Due to the lower friction on wet roads, the potential lateral acceleration or cornering speed limit also decreases. This can lead to significant safety-critical situations for the vehicle.

[0018] Furthermore, it is provided that when driving on the roadway to which the specific aquaplaning situation belongs, the actual driving behavior of the vehicle is analyzed and compared with the driving behavior to be expected in such an aquaplaning situation. In the event of a deviation, in particular by a predeterminable tolerance, between the actual driving behavior and the expected driving behavior, at least the deviation and / or the actual driving behavior is taken into account when determining a future aquaplaning situation. This allows a more diverse and comprehensive determination of the aquaplaning situation to be carried out, since the respective driving behavior in a past aquaplaning situation can be taken into account when determining the current aquaplaning situation. This allows the aquaplaning situation to be determined better and more efficiently.This means, for example, that an apparently minor aquaplaning situation, where the vehicle's handling was severely restricted, can be taken into account and stored. This can be taken into account the next time the system or vehicle guidance system detects an apparently minor aquaplaning situation, and any necessary precautions can be prepared. For example, situation-dependent and unforeseeable situations in the past aquaplaning situation can be analyzed in detail so that this can be taken into account as another possible input parameter when determining the future aquaplaning situation. In particular, the vehicle guidance system can be trained by comparing the actual and expected handling behavior. In particular, the vehicle guidance system can be trained automatically using these comparisons.

[0019] Conversely, if a severe aquaplaning situation is identified and the actual driving behavior is nevertheless good, this can be taken into account as a new parameter when determining a future aquaplaning situation.

[0020] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that, depending on the aquaplaning situation, a control signal is generated for a vehicle guidance system of the vehicle, and / or a warning is output on a portable communications terminal of a vehicle user and / or on an output unit of the vehicle. By generating the control signal for the vehicle guidance system depending on the aquaplaning situation, the vehicle can be controlled such that an optimal countermeasure for the aquaplaning situation can be provided and implemented. In particular, the road condition assessment system can, with the aid of the generated control signal, reduce the vehicle's speed early on, for example, and / or prepare and implement appropriate braking maneuvers.In particular, the control signal is generated automatically depending on the aquaplaning situation, so that the vehicle guidance system can be informed of the danger early on and initiate and implement countermeasures at an early stage. In particular, the control signal can be generated by a control unit or a control device of the vehicle and transmitted to the vehicle guidance system.

[0021] By issuing the warning, the vehicle user and its occupants can prepare for an impending potential hazard on the road. In particular, the driver of the vehicle can initiate appropriate countermeasures based on the aquaplaning situation generated. In particular, the driver of the vehicle can prepare for the impending aquaplaning situation. In particular, the driver and / or the vehicle user can adapt the vehicle's driving behavior. In particular, the driver and / or the vehicle user can reduce speed accordingly and initiate and perform appropriate braking maneuvers.

[0022] In particular, the warning can be automatically output acoustically and / or visually on the user's portable communications device. In particular, the user's portable communications device can be a smartphone or a tablet. Likewise, the warning can be output visually and / or optically and / or haptically on the vehicle's output unit. The vehicle's output unit can be, for example, an instrument cluster or an infotainment system, or a display and a speaker system of the vehicle.

[0023] Preferably, it is provided that the determined aquaplaning situation on the roadway is stored in the external processing unit and is taken into account when determining an aquaplaning situation of the vehicle and / or the additional vehicle in the future. In particular, the stored aquaplaning situation in the external processing unit is classified in a database of the external processing unit and assigned to a specific group, and when determining a future aquaplaning situation, the corresponding stored aquaplaning situation is taken into account with the same group. By storing the determined aquaplaning situation, a future determination of an aquaplaning situation can be carried out more efficiently, more accurately, and more precisely. This allows the vehicle and / or the additional vehicle to better assess and evaluate a future aquaplaning situation.This results in improved safety for the vehicle and / or other vehicles on wet roads. In particular, the current aquaplaning situation can be saved in the database of the external processing unit. For example, this could be a server of the external processing unit. By saving the aquaplaning situations of the vehicle and / or other vehicles, a comprehensive data collection of the most diverse aquaplaning situations can be generated, which can be taken into account when generating future aquaplaning situations. In particular, the saved aquaplaning situation can be classified and selected. This makes it possible, for example, to assign a hazard classification or hazard potential to the individual aquaplaning situations.This allows aquaplaning situations with a high risk potential to be assigned to a first group, while, for example, an aquaplaning situation with a lower risk potential can be assigned to a second group. This allows the vehicle and / or another vehicle to determine an aquaplaning situation in the future, using the stored aquaplaning situation with the same group, thus allowing an even more precise and faster evaluation of the current aquaplaning situation. This can increase safety, especially for the vehicle and / or another vehicle, in the event of aquaplaning.

[0024] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is further provided that, depending on the group and / or classification of the aquaplaning situation, a situation-dependent function of the vehicle guidance system of the vehicle is carried out and / or a situation-dependent warning is issued. This allows a corresponding function of the vehicle guidance system to be carried out depending on the aquaplaning situation, in particular the danger potential of the aquaplaning situation, and in particular, a warning precisely tailored to the danger of the aquaplaning situation can be issued. This allows the vehicle to be adapted to the respective aquaplaning situation and the driving characteristics of the vehicle to be controlled accordingly. Likewise, the user of the vehicle and / or the vehicle occupants can be precisely informed about the aquaplaning situation occurring on the road and warned as best as possible.For example, if the impending aquaplaning situation poses a very high risk, the vehicle guidance system and / or the driver can adapt the vehicle's handling to the current aquaplaning situation. Similarly, if the risk is low, a warning can be issued indicating that, for example, only minor vehicle deflections are likely.

[0025] Preferably, the determined alternative route for avoiding the roadway is provided to a vehicle guidance system of the vehicle, and / or a navigation system of the vehicle and / or the other vehicle, and / or a portable communications terminal of a user of the vehicle or the other vehicle, and / or the external computing unit. As a result, the alternative route determined depending on the aquaplaning situation for avoiding the roadway on which the aquaplaning situation will occur can be provided to a wide variety of systems, users, and vehicles, so that the vehicles that are still far away from the current roadway with the aquaplaning situation can adapt their respective current routes to the aquaplaning situation and, if necessary, set the alternative route as the new route.This allows other road users to be informed at an early stage that a danger may arise on the existing route with the road surface on which the aquaplaning situation is occurring and that it would be more sensible to select and take the alternative route.

[0026] Preferably, it is provided that a crosswind occurring on the road, a wind force, an amount of precipitation, or a precipitation duration is recorded as weather conditions in the vicinity of the roadway. In particular, the vehicle's recording unit can be used to record the respective currently occurring weather conditions in the vicinity of the roadway. In particular, these weather conditions can be taken into account when determining the current aquaplaning situation. In particular, depending on the strength of the crosswind and / or the wind force and / or in the case of an increased amount of precipitation or a prolonged rain shower, it can be assumed that the aquaplaning situation has a high risk potential.This allows the vehicle and / or the user of the vehicle and / or other road users to be informed as early and as best as possible of any potential hazards that may occur or be imminent on the road.

[0027] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, a number of ruts and / or potholes in the roadway, a friction coefficient of the roadway, or a completion date of the roadway are stored in the external computing unit as information on the surface structure of the roadway. This makes it possible to provide diverse and comprehensive information about the surface structure of the roadway. By precisely analyzing the surface structure of the roadway, the aquaplaning situation can be determined more accurately and more precisely, or in a way that is adapted to the situation. In particular, the surface structure can be used to take into account not only the friction coefficients of the roadway, but also the age or service life of the roadway, for example based on the completion date of the roadway. In particular, an older roadway can have a greater potential for aquaplaning.In particular, the number of ruts or the number of potholes can be used to determine whether there are ruts and / or puddles or pools of water. The presence of ruts or potholes can lead to significantly more dangerous aquaplaning situations. It is particularly important that the depth of the ruts and / or potholes is specified or provided. The size or volume of the ruts and / or potholes is particularly important, as a large volume of ruts and / or potholes can allow significantly more water to accumulate. This results in a greater risk of aquaplaning on the roadway. For example, individual route segments and / or streets can be classified based on the danger spots on them.In particular, the surface structure can be used to identify individual danger spots on the road for determining the aquaplaning situation.

[0028] A further aspect of the invention relates to a road condition assessment system. The road condition assessment system comprises a detection unit and an evaluation unit, wherein the road condition assessment system is designed to carry out a method according to one of the previously described aspects or a further development thereof. In particular, the previously described method can be carried out with the road condition assessment system.

[0029] A further aspect of the invention relates to a vehicle with a road condition assessment system as explained in the previously described aspect. For example, the vehicle can be a semi-autonomous or fully autonomous vehicle.

[0030] The invention also includes further developments of the road condition assessment system and vehicle according to the invention, which have features already described in connection with the further developments of the method according to the invention. For this reason, the corresponding further developments of the road condition assessment system and vehicle according to the invention are not described again here.

[0031] The invention also includes combinations of the features of the described embodiments.

[0032] An exemplary embodiment of the invention is described below. The single figure shows an exemplary embodiment for assessing the condition of a roadway.

[0033] The exemplary embodiment explained below is a preferred embodiment of the invention. In the exemplary embodiment, the described components of the embodiment each represent individual, independently considered features of the invention, which also further develop the invention independently of one another and are thus also to be considered as components of the invention, either individually or in a combination other than that shown. Furthermore, the described embodiment can also be supplemented by further features of the invention already described.

[0034] The single figure shows a vehicle 1 traveling on a lane 2 of a road. The road is, in particular, a road in real traffic.

[0035] For example, the vehicle 1 can be equipped with a road condition assessment system 3. The road condition assessment system 3 can, in particular, assess and analyze the road condition of the roadway 2.

[0036] For example, information about a surface structure 4 of the roadway 2 can be filed or stored in a computing unit 5 external to the vehicle 1. Using the information about the surface structure 4 of the roadway 2, a number of ruts and / or a number of potholes in the roadway 2 or a coefficient of friction of the roadway 2 or a completion date of the roadway 2 can be filed by the external computing unit 5. In particular, this data is stored in a database 6 of the external computing unit 5. The external computing unit 5 can be, for example, a server or a cloud, such as a data cloud.

[0037] In particular, the road condition assessment system 3 comprises a detection unit 7 and an evaluation unit 8. For example, the road condition assessment system 3 and the detection unit 7 and the evaluation unit 8 can be integrated in the vehicle 1.

[0038] The detection unit 7 can, for example, be a camera system or a sensor system of the vehicle 1. In particular, the detection unit 7 is attached to the vehicle 1 in such a way that it can encompass the roadway 2 and an area 18 surrounding the roadway 2 and the vehicle 1 in the direction of travel of the vehicle 1. For example, the detection unit 7 can be arranged on the front of the vehicle 1. In particular, the detection unit 7 can be used to optically detect puddles on the roadway 2. In particular, the detection unit 7 can be used to detect the wetness of the roadway 2 on which the vehicle 1 is traveling. Likewise, the detection unit 7 can be used to detect weather conditions in the area 18 surrounding the roadway 2. In this case, the detection unit 7 can, for example, have a rain sensor 9. For example, the rain sensor 9 can be the rain sensor of the vehicle 1.With the help of the rain sensor 9, weather conditions in the environment 18 of the roadway 2 can be detected. In particular, with the help of the rain sensor 9, the amount of precipitation and / or the duration of precipitation during a rain shower can be detected. For example, the detection unit 7 can also detect a crosswind occurring on the roadway 2 or the wind speed of an occurring wind. In particular, the evaluation unit 8 can retrieve the detected wetness level and / or the detected weather condition, and additionally, the information on the surface structure 4 stored in the external computing unit 5 can also be retrieved. The evaluation unit 8 can then use this information to determine an aquaplaning situation 10 on the roadway 2.In particular, the aquaplaning situation 10 is determined by the vehicle 1 itself and automatically depending on the information about the surface structure 4 and the information about the wetness. This enables the vehicle 1, for example, with the evaluation unit 8, to detect and evaluate a potential hazard on the roadway 2. For example, depending on the aquaplaning situation 10, a control signal can be generated for a vehicle guidance system 11 of the vehicle 1. With the aid of the control signal, the vehicle guidance system 11, in particular, can control the vehicle 1 such that a potential danger posed by the aquaplaning situation 10 can be reduced. In particular, the vehicle guidance system 11 can initiate appropriate countermeasures, such as speed reduction and / or braking, with the aid of the control signal.Likewise, depending on the aquaplaning situation 10, a warning can be generated by the evaluation unit 8. The warning can then be output on a portable communications terminal 12 of a user 13 of the vehicle 1. The portable communications terminal 12 can be, for example, a tablet or a smartphone. The warning can also be output on an output unit 14 of the vehicle 1. In particular, the warning can be output visually, acoustically, or haptically on the portable communications terminal 12 and / or on the output unit 14. This allows the user 13 or other occupants of the vehicle 1 to be optimally informed of the impending dangerous situation and warned of it.

[0039] For example, the evaluated and determined aquaplaning situation 10 on the roadway 2 can be stored in the external processing unit 5, in particular in the database 6, so that it can be taken into account in a future determination of an aquaplaning situation 10 of the vehicle 1 or another vehicle 15. In particular, the vehicle 1 and / or the other vehicle 15 and / or other road users can access the stored aquaplaning situations 10 via the external processing unit 5. In particular, the aquaplaning situation 10 can be retrieved in the external processing unit 5 via communication connections, such as radio networks.

[0040] In particular, the aquaplaning situation 10 stored in the external processing unit 5 is classified in the database 6 of the external processing unit 5 and assigned to a specific group. In particular, the aquaplaning situation 10 can be grouped or classified according to its hazard potential or its hazard potential. This allows the aquaplaning situation 10 stored in the external processing unit 5 with the same group or the same classification to be used and taken into account in the determination in the future. This allows a faster and more efficient determination of the aquaplaning situation 10 to be achieved and carried out.

[0041] Likewise, depending on the group and / or classification of the aquaplaning situation 10, a situation-dependent function of the vehicle guidance system 11 of the vehicle 1 can be carried out. Likewise, a situation-dependent warning can be generated and issued through the classification and / or grouping of the aquaplaning situation 10. In particular, depending on the group or classification of the aquaplaning situation 10, the control signal for the vehicle guidance system 11 can be adapted and generated accordingly. This enables the vehicle guidance system 11 to carry out situation-dependent driving of the vehicle 1 that is adapted to the current hazardous situation. This allows, for example, early braking maneuvers to be carried out. Likewise, the situation-dependent instructions or warnings of the user 13 of the vehicle 1 can enable the user to adapt their driving behavior to the current aquaplaning situation 10.

[0042] For example, the vehicle 1 or the evaluation unit 8 can retrieve the information on the surface structure 4 of the roadway 2 and the information on the wetness of the roadway 2 from the external computing unit 5, so that the vehicle 1 or the evaluation unit 8 can determine the aquaplaning situation 10. In particular, the vehicle 1 can send the recorded information on the wetness to the external computing unit 5. This allows the additional vehicle 15 to retrieve the information on the surface structure 4 and the information on the wetness from the external computing unit 5, wherein the additional vehicle 15 can determine a driving state of the additional vehicle 15 for driving on the roadway 2 depending on this retrieved information. Alternatively, the additional vehicle 15 can determine an alternative route to avoid the roadway 2 with the aquaplaning situation 10.This allows the other vehicle 15 to calculate the alternative route so that the aquaplaning situation 10 can be avoided as much as possible. This allows the other vehicle 15 to avoid this hazard.

[0043] Optionally, the determined alternative route for avoiding lane 2 can be provided to the vehicle guidance system 11 of the vehicle 1, and / or a navigation system 16 of the vehicle 1 and / or the additional vehicle 15, and / or the portable communication terminal 12 of the user 13 or the additional vehicle 15, and / or the external computing unit 5. This allows the newly calculated route for avoiding or bypassing the aquaplaning situation 10 to be communicated to the additional road user, enabling them to best choose the alternative route to avoid the potential danger of the aquaplaning situation 10.

[0044] In particular, with the aid of the aquaplaning situation 10, a corresponding hazard- or risk-minimizing measure can be initiated via the vehicle guidance system 11. In particular, for example, the braking distance of the vehicle 1 can be adjusted accordingly.

[0045] For example, the communication of the aquaplaning situation 10 and the recorded information between the vehicle 1 and the other vehicle 15 can be carried out via car-to-car or car-to-X communication. In particular, all recorded data and specific aquaplaning situations 10 can be provided to a transport service provider so that statistics on location-related hazard potentials can be generated for a respective lane 2 or a respective route.

[0046] For example, the aquaplaning situation 10 can be provided to an external road function, such as a so-called road experience monitor. This allows live data, in particular the road surface condition or the traffic situation, to be transmitted to other vehicles in traffic. In particular, this data can be made available specifically to navigation devices and applications. In particular, the aquaplaning situation 10 can be generated or evaluated in such a way that time-dependent and route-dependent information about impending aquaplaning can be provided. This enables road users to drive with minimal risk and hazard.

[0047] In particular, when driving on the roadway 2 to which the specific aquaplaning situation 10 belongs, the actual driving behavior of the vehicle 1 can be analyzed and compared with the driving behavior to be expected in such an aquaplaning situation 10. In particular, in the event of a deviation, in particular by a predeterminable tolerance, between the actual driving behavior and the expected driving behavior, at least the deviation and / or the actual driving behavior is taken into account when determining a future aquaplaning situation 10. In particular, this comparison or verification of the actual driving behavior with the expected driving behavior is carried out using the evaluation unit 8. This allows unforeseeable situations that contribute to positive and / or negative characteristics of the driving behavior of the vehicle 1 to be taken into account when determining the future aquaplaning situation 10.In particular, these deviations between the actual driving behavior and the expected driving behavior can be stored in the external computing unit 5. This allows this information to be made available to other road users. For example, the evaluation unit 8 can have a machine learning unit 17, with which the evaluation unit 8 and / or the road condition assessment system 3 and / or the vehicle guidance system 11 can be mechanically trained. It is also conceivable for the machine learning unit 17 to be integrated centrally in the vehicle 1 or in the external computing unit 5. With the machine learning unit 17, in particular, the determination of the aquaplaning situation 10 can be learned and mechanically trained. This allows an automatic, efficient and, above all, faster determination of the aquaplaning situation 10 to be carried out in a future aquaplaning situation 10.This will provide better warning of a hazard on lane 2. List of reference symbols 1 vehicle 2 lanes 3 Road condition assessment system 4 Surface structure 5 external computing unit 6 Database 7 Recording unit 8 Evaluation unit 9 Rain sensor 10 Aquaplaning situation 11 Vehicle guidance system 12 portable communication terminal 13 users 14 Output unit 15 additional vehicles 16 Navigation system 17 Machine Learning Unit 18 Surroundings

Claims

[1] Method for assessing the condition of a roadway (2), in which the following steps are carried out: - storing information on a surface structure (4) of the roadway (2) in a computing unit (5) external to the vehicle, - detecting a wetness condition of the roadway (2) with at least one detection unit (7) of a vehicle (1) traveling on the roadway (2) and / or detecting a weather condition in the surroundings (18) of the roadway (2), characterized by - retrieving the information on the surface structure (4) of the roadway (2) by the vehicle (1) from the external computing unit (5) and determining an aquaplaning situation (10) on the roadway (2) in the vehicle (1) itself depending on the information on the surface structure (4) and depending on the information on the wetness, and / or - transmitting the information on the wetness condition from the vehicle (1) to the external computing unit (5) and retrieving the information on the surface structure (4) and the information on the wetness condition from the external computing unit (5) by a further vehicle (15), wherein the further vehicle (15) determines a driving condition of the further vehicle (15) for driving on the roadway (2) or determines an alternative route for bypassing the roadway (2) depending on this retrieved information;wherein, when driving on the roadway (2) to which the determined aquaplaning situation (10) belongs, the actual driving behavior of the vehicle (1) is analyzed and compared with a driving behavior to be expected in such an aquaplaning situation (10), wherein in the event of a deviation, in particular by a predeterminable tolerance, between the actual driving behavior and the expected driving behavior, at least the deviation and / or the actual driving behavior is taken into account when determining a future aquaplaning situation (10); [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by that, depending on the aquaplaning situation (10), a control signal for a vehicle guidance system (11) of the vehicle (1) is generated, and / or a warning is output on a portable communication terminal (12) of a user (13) of the vehicle (1) and / or on an output unit (14) of the vehicle (1). [3] Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized bythat the specific aquaplaning situation (10) on the roadway (2) is stored in the external computing unit (5), and this is taken into account in a future determination of an aquaplaning situation (10) of the vehicle (1) and / or the further vehicle (15), in particular the stored aquaplaning situation (10) in the external computing unit (5) is classified in a database (6) of the external computing unit (5) and assigned to a specific group, and when a future aquaplaning situation (10) is determined, the corresponding stored aquaplaning situation (10) with the same group is taken into account. [4] Method according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized by that depending on the group and / or the classification of the aquaplaning situation (10), a situation-dependent function of the vehicle guidance system (11) of the vehicle (1) is carried out and / or a situation-dependent warning is issued. [5] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the determined alternative route for bypassing the roadway (2) is provided to a vehicle guidance system (11) of the vehicle, and / or a navigation system (16) of the vehicle (1) and / or the further vehicle (15), and / or a portable communication terminal (12) of a user (13) of the vehicle (1) or the further vehicle (15), and / or the external computing unit (5). [6] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that when a weather condition is detected, a crosswind occurring on the roadway (2), a wind force, an amount of precipitation or a duration of precipitation is detected as a weather condition in the surroundings (18) of the roadway (2). [7] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat a number of ruts and / or potholes in the roadway (2), a coefficient of friction of the roadway (2) or a completion date of the roadway (2) are stored in the external computing unit (5) as information on the surface structure (4) of the roadway (2). [8] Road condition assessment system (3) with a detection unit (7) and evaluation unit (8), wherein the road condition assessment system (3) is designed to carry out a method according to one of the preceding claims. [9] Vehicle (1) with a road condition assessment system (3) according to claim 8.

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